---
title: "Review of Higher Education"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-06ebb6"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06ebb6"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06ebb6.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06ebb6.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "Llywodraeth Cymru / Welsh Government"
published: "2026-08-25"
---

# Review of Higher Education

Buyer: Llywodraeth Cymru / Welsh Government  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-06ebb6

[View canonical contract page](https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06ebb6)  
[Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06ebb6.json)

## Summary

Welsh Government commissioned an independent chair to lead a review of higher education in Wales. The chair is responsible for the overall success of the review, providing sector expertise and insight, and leading the Review Panel established to undertake the work. The role includes acting as the public face of the review and building relationships with stakeholders. The service is classified as higher education services (CPV 80300000). The work will be delivered throughout Wales, with travel required as necessary. The buyer is Llywodraeth Cymru / Welsh Government, based in Cardiff. The requirement is for an individual-led advisory and leadership service rather than general administrative support or the delivery of higher education teaching.

The procurement has reached the award stage: Welsh Government selected Dempsey Murphy and Associates through a direct award. The award date was 25 August 2026 and the selected supplier is based in Dublin. The award is £155,400 excluding VAT (£186,480 including VAT). The contract is scheduled to run from 4 September 2026 to 28 February 2028, with an option to extend by up to two months, to no later than 1 May 2028. The contract was subject to a standstill period ending at midnight on 3 September 2026, with signature scheduled for 4 September 2026. There is one lot, suitable for SMEs. Welsh Government justified the direct award because it considered there was no competition for technical reasons and no reasonable alternative; soft market testing identified the nominated individual as uniquely suited. The chair is expected to provide an average of two days’ service per week.

This award indicates demand from Welsh Government for senior, independent leadership of complex higher-education policy reviews. A credible future competitor would need deep knowledge of the higher-education sector, with the judgement and expertise to take responsibility for a review’s success and lead a panel of experts. The role also requires public-facing credibility, stakeholder engagement and the ability to build effective relationships across Wales. Suppliers should be able to provide an individual with a strong, demonstrable fit to the specific review and the capacity to commit regular part-time input, alongside travel throughout Wales. The direct-award rationale shows that distinctive personal expertise and specialist sector knowledge were decisive, rather than a broad consultancy capability alone. SMEs can be suitable for this type of requirement.

## Notice

This is a contract award notice to inform of Welsh Government's decision to award a contract for the provision of services of an Independent Chair for the delivery of a review into Higher Education in Wales. This Contract Award Notice follows the publication of a previous Transparency Notice on 25/08/2026 advising of Welsh Government's intention to award the contract. The purpose of the contract is to take overall responsibility for the success of the review, provide expertise and insight and to lead the work of the Review Panel. The contractor will lead the Panel established to undertake the Review; be the public face of the Review, including building relationships with stakeholders. The contractor will be expected to provide on average two days service per week and travel throughout Wales as required. As noted in the Transparency Notice there is an absence of competition for technical reasons and no reasonable alternative exists that satisfies the deliverables of the contract. It is the opinion of Welsh Government that the contract therefore satisfies the requirements of paragraph 41 Direct award in special cases and Schedule 5 part (6) (a) (b) of the Procurement Act 2023. Welsh Government will not enter into a contract until the required standstill period expires at midnight on Thursday 3rd September 2026.

### Procurement Information

This transparency notice is intended to provide notice of the Authority's decision to award a contract to Dempsey Murphy and Associates for the provision of services of an Independent Chair for the delivery of a review into Higher Education in Wales. A number of candidates have been approached through soft market testing, but during this process, it became apparent to the Contracting Authority that only the individual nominated by Dempsey Murphy and Associates had the knowledge, skills and expertise in the sector of delivering the services required, within the timeline for the review. It is the opinion of Welsh Government that the contract in question satisfies the requirements of Schedule 5 of the Procurement Act 2023 with justification for the direct award of a contract to Dempsey Murphy and Associates as there is an absence of competition for technical reasons and that no reasonable alternative exists that satisfies the deliverables of the contract. Therefore the requirements of paragraph 41 Direct award in special cases and Schedule 5 part (6) (a) (b) apply to the contract.

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/080948-2026 |
| Notice type | UK6 - Contract Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Direct |
| Procurement method details | Direct award |
| Tender suitability | SME |
| Awardee scale | SME |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 25 Aug 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | 25 Aug 2026 |
| Contract period | 4 Sep 2026 - 28 Feb 2028 |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | £155,400 |
| Contracts value | Not specified |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Complete |
| Awards status | Pending |
| Contracts status | Not specified |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | Llywodraeth Cymru / Welsh Government |
| Locality | CARDIFF |
| Postcode area | Cardiff |
| Postcode | CF10 3NQ |
| Country | Wales |
| ITL 1 | TLL Wales |
| ITL 2 | TLL5 South East Wales |
| ITL 3 | TLL52 Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan |
| Local authority | Cardiff |
| Electoral ward | Cathays |
| Westminster constituency | Cardiff South and Penarth |
| Delivery location | Not specified |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | Dempsey Murphy and Associates |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 80 - Education and training services

### Codes

- 80300000 - Higher education services

## Release History

- 25 Aug 2026 at 15:51 - Award - UK6 - Contract Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/080948-2026
- 25 Aug 2026 at 14:57 - Award - UK5 - Transparency Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/080906-2026

## Documents

- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/080948-2026
  25th August 2026 - Contract award notice on Find a Tender
- https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/080906-2026
  25th August 2026 - Transparency notice on Find a Tender

## Notice URLs

- http://gov.wales
- https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2023/54/contents

## Provenance

This Markdown file is an alternate public rendering of the D3 Tenders contract record. The canonical page is https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06ebb6. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06ebb6.json.